6 Must See Scraps: April 2012

It’s April and summer is near. Two major events –UFC on FUEL TV 2: Gustafsson vs. Silva & UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans”, plus new episodes of “The Ultimate Fighter: Live” every Friday night fill the April MMA schedule and plenty of pivotal match ups are slated. There will be battles for respect, relevance, number one contendership and most important of all; championship glory.

April will undeniably have a number of memorable fights, however, only six can make the list. With that said, here are the fights you CANNOT miss this coming month.

The Who: Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara (Middleweight Bout)
The When: Tuesday, April 14th, 2012
The Where: Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden
The Goods: The co-main event of the night at UFC on FUEL TV 2 features two heavy-handed middleweight strikers in hunt of a win after suffering disappointing losses in their last outings.

Stann (11-4) looks to get back on the winning track in Sweden after being outclassed and submitted by Chael Sonnen at UFC 137 last October. Although he lost to Sonnen, the “All-American” is still 3-1 as a middleweight and is rapidly developing his skill set with every fight. Stann holds some of the most powerful hands at 185 pounds and can put any man to sleep with just one shot.

Sakara (15-8) has been a mainstay in the UFC since he debut with the organization in 2005, but has never managed to beat fighters in the upper echelon of the middleweight division. Knockout power and a diverse striking attack has led Sakara to a 6-5 UFC record with one no contest. The Italian fighter has not competed since March 2011 due to injuries, so rustiness could be an issue in his return to the octagon.

The Verdict: Don’t get your hopes up for any grappling when Stann and Sakara meet inside the octagon on April 14. Both fighters have made names in the UFC by knocking out opponents in devastating fashion; so don’t expect anything to change when the cage door closes. The odds makers favor Stann, but Sakara should not be overlooked due to his boxing background and striking abilities. Stann and Sakara have both suffered knockout losses in their careers, indicating that they cannot only separate opponents from consciousness, but be put to sleep themselves. Expect a highlight reel finish.

The Who: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago Silva (Light Heavyweight Bout)
The When: Tuesday, April 14th, 2012
The Where: Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden
The Goods: Alexander Gustafsson headlines a card for the first time in his career when the UFC goes to his native Sweden for the first time for UFC on FUEL TV 2. Gustafsson has the opportunity of a lifetime to fight in front of his home crowd and is set to take on the returning Thiago Silva.

Gustafsson (13-1) has quickly risen up the ranks, knocking off tough veterans Matt Hamill and Vladimir Matyushenko in his last two fights. Now 5-1 in the UFC, Gustafsson’s slick striking and grappling skills has fans grooming him as a future challenger to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. The Swedish fighter has yet to go the distance in the UFC and will attempt to continue that streak when he enters the octagon for the seventh time in his career.

Silva (14-2, 1 NC) returns to the octagon following a one-year suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Silva was last seen dismantling Brandon Vera inside the octagon at UFC 125, but the win was overturned to a no contest when Silva submitted a falsified urine sample. Back from suspension, Silva looks to kick start his career by making a run in the light heavyweight division.

The Verdict: Two light heavyweights that come to fight every single time. Gustafsson is perhaps the brightest young prospect in the light heavyweight division and Silva is simply a beast every time he enters the cage. Neither man is going to be a pushover for the other, which should make for a competitive and action-packed fight. The fight could either be a coming out party for Gustafsson or a glorious return to prominence for Silva.

The Who: John Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani (Lightweight Bout)
The When: Saturday, April 21st, 2012
The Where: Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
The Goods: Dynamic strikers collide on the preliminary portion of the UFC 145 fight card as John Makdessi and Anthony Njokuani are out to rebound from losses at the end of 2011.

Makdessi (9-1) suffered his first career defeat at the hands of Dennis Hallman at UFC 140 last December. At 26-years-old, Makdessi is one of the best strikers in the UFC lightweight division, however his grappling skills have yet to reach the level of his stand up, causing him to have problems against grapplers. Makdessi’s striking is extremely diverse, though, as seen by his spinning back fist knockout of Kyle Watson at UFC 129.

Njokuani (14-6, 1 NC) is a similar fighter to Makdessi in the sense that he relies heavily on his striking skills and stumbles when the fight hits the ground. With eight career wins via knockout, “The Assassin” is extremely dangerous on the feet and is always capable of putting on a “Fight of the Night” or “Knockout of the Night” worthy performance.

The Verdict: The fight between Makdessi and Njokuani has little relevance in the lightweight division, and the loser will be on the verge of being cut from the UFC roster. With that said, it should be a fun stand up fight that has the potential to end in a knockout. Don’t blink when these two face off.

The Who: Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson (Welterweight Bout)
The When: Saturday, April 21st, 2012
The Where: Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
The Goods: Matt Brown has talked a lot of trash about Stephen Thompson leading up to their UFC 145 bout. The two welterweights will have the chance to settle their differences inside the octagon when they fight on the FX portion of the UFC 145 preliminary card.

Brown (13-11) has been in the UFC for a long time, but has struggled to find consistency, going 2-4 in his last six octagon appearances. Brown is a scrappy veteran who is always difficult to put away and fights hard until the final bell. Brown’s relentless style of fighting has made him a mainstay in the UFC and he is a fighter that will test up and coming fighters; win or lose.

Thompson (6-0) made a memorable UFC debut back at UFC 141 when he finished Dan Stittgen in highlight reel fashion with a brutal head kick. The undefeated fighter is a decorated kickboxer with creative kicks that come from all angles. Thompson is relative green in professional MMA, but judging from his first UFC appearance, the South Carolina native has a bright future.

The Verdict: The tension between Brown and Thompson should make for an exciting and eventful fight. Brown has called Thompson’s kickboxing and MMA record inflated, while Thompson has taken some shots at Brown’s borderline .500 career record. Thompson’s takedown defense and ground game is untested at this point, and Brown will certainly pressure him in those areas so questions surrounding Thompson should be answered in the fight. Win or lose, Brown is rarely in a boring fight – this one should be no different.

The Who: Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald (Bantamweight Bout)
The When: Saturday, April 21st, 2012
The Where: Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
The Goods: A bantamweight title contender will be established in Atlanta when former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel “Angel” Torres meets the surging Michael “Mayday” McDonald on the UFC 145 main card.

Torres (40-4) will see action for the first time since his firing, and subsequent rehiring from the UFC for making questionable remarks on his personal twitter account. One of the very best 135-pound fighters in the world, Torres attempts to put the fiasco behind him and move on in his career by picking up a win at UFC 145. Torres is one of the most well rounded competitors in all of MMA as his effective movement, striking and grappling cause serious problems for even the best of fighters. Torres will attempt to win back-to-back fights in the UFC for the first time at UFC 145.

McDonald (14-1) is one of the most talented young prospects in all of MMA. A winner of seven straight fights, including a 3-0 UFC record, McDonald is a dangerous fighter with the killer instinct to back it up – evident by his 55-second finish of Alex Soto at UFC 139. At just 21-years-old, everyone expects big things from McDonald; a win over a former champion in Torres would place his name among the top bantamweight fighters in the world.

The Verdict: An extremely important fight for both men. Torres has yet to find his stride in the UFC and after a few lack luster octagon performances, needs a statement win to prove he is still one of the best in the world at 135 pounds. McDonald, on the other hand, is soaring up the rankings and has put his name on the map in a hurry. If he can pull of a win, a title fight could be very close to reality.

There have been rumors the winner of this fight will determine who will challenger the winner of Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, who fight at UFC 148. If that is indeed the case, the stakes for this fight are just that much higher.

The Who: Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans (Light Heavyweight Championship Bout)
The When: Saturday, April 21st, 2012
The Where: Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
The Goods: The first UFC light heavyweight championship fight of 2012 serves as the main event of the UFC 145 card in Atlanta as Jon “Bones” Jones attempts to defend his title for the third time when he takes on former light heavyweight champion and former training partner, “Suga” Rashad Evans.

Jones (15-1) has dominated every foe placed before him in his 10-fight UFC career, most recently defeating Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida by submission at UFC 140 last December. The 24-year-old appears untouchable at this point, looking more impressive every time he steps in the cage. Jones will fight for the first time this year after an extremely active 2011 that saw him compete four times. Jones attempts continue his dominant rise up the pound-for-pound list with another impressive top-10 win, this time over the number two ranked Evans.

Evans (17-1-1) established himself as the number one contender in the light heavyweight division on three separate occasions, but due to injuries and scheduling conflicts his opportunity to fight Jones failed to come to fruition, until now. Superb striking, wrestling and conditioning have earned Evans his rightful place as the second best 205 pounder in the world.

The Verdict: Former training partners, Evans and Jones have had a longstanding beef since be Jones won the UFC light heavyweight championship from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128. The UFC has tried to set the fight up on multiple occasions, but injuries to both fighters have put the fight off much longer than expected. Evans scored a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 2, which allowed the fight to become a reality. There is a tremendous amount of heat between Jones and Evans and both say they have each other’s number.

This is the fight everyone has wanted to see since Jones won the belt over one year ago. Does Evans really have Jones’ number? Can he give the dominant champion a competitive fight? Or will Jones walk through Evans like he everyone else? Tune in to find out.